Retail management and till systems will help British brand grow its business across US and Asia
Fast-growing British designer brand, Ted Baker, is rolling out new point-of-sale (PoS) and retail management software, Yourcegid Retail, to help support its expansion abroad.
The roll out is expected to simplify management of complicated tax regimes and customer service in local languages.
The initial implementation of the stores in Hong Kong was completed just in time for the busy Christmas trading period and ahead of the opening of its first stores in mainland China early this year.
System to manage local demands
Dustan Steer, Ted Baker’s IT director, stated: “We chose to work with Cegid because of its expertise in fashion and its international reach.
"Cegid is present in all the local markets we operate in and the software is highly flexible, giving local support in the relevant languages and lots of specific tools already configured for each region. Following local regulations is one of the greatest challenges in Asia, so Cegid proved to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for our overseas activity.”
Cegid reported that the retailer also plans to take advantage of other features of its management software to help better align the business with country-specific requirements. These include the higher levels of instore service expected in Asia, which it said often require sophisticated customer relationship management (CRM) and VIP tools, while allowing gift card and loyalty schemes to possibly be explored in the future.
Steer also acknowledged the need for building new data centres in the US and Hong Kong to support the growing business and speed up data transfer.
Capitalising on regional growth
The £188-million designer brand recently announced further expansion abroad after half-year sales in the US grew 74% to $16.7 million (£10.8m), boosted by new concessions and strong demand.
Ted Baker has said it plans to add 13 concessions in US department stores, including Bloomingdales, to its existing base of over 150 stores, which are mainly located in the UK, France, US and Asia.
The company will also open a new flagship store in New York in 2012, in addition to four new concessions and an outlet store in the US this year.
